10 reasons why school teachers are great crisis managers
I think teachers have many practical skills in daily crisis management. And the crisis specialist has a lot of valuable things to borrow from teachers and educators.
Twenty-eight years ago, I had no idea that as a teacher, I would not be teaching in school but would be teached by my students, colleagues, and student's parents.
Now, I compare my reputation and crisis advisor work with a teacher's job. And I understand that teachers are also great crisis managers!
As a former teacher and now a reputation and crisis advisor, I was interested to see what these professions have in common.
I think teachers have many practical skills in daily crisis management. And the crisis specialist has a lot of valuable things to borrow from teachers and educators.
So, in my opinion, teachers are:
Masters of Chaos
Every day, teachers deal with 30 people running in 30 different directions. If that's not a crisis, I don't know what is.
"Saints" who have (not infinite) patience
They (almost) keep calm even when a child asks, "Why is the sky blue?" for the 100th time.
Is this a crisis? No, it's just another cinnamon cake.
Conflict Resolution Ninjas
Arguments on the playground, sibling rivalry, drama in the classroom – teachers have seen it all.
And they have experience in handling every situation - quickly and efficiently.
Emergency First Aid
They will find plasters for scraped knees, comforting words for a broken heart and an endless supply of tissues.
They are an emergency response service!
Multitasking Maestros
Manage 20 things at once? Teachers do this every day, dancing on banana skins.
Crisis? But this is just another acrobatic performance!
Specialists in diplomacy
They can turn "He stole my crayon!" into a peace treaty that the UN will be proud of (when it becomes a viable organisation again).
Communication Gurus
Teachers can explain the most complex topics so that a professor and a five-year-old child can understand them.
Adaptive Geniuses
Did the lesson plan blur like a snowflake in the sun? No problem! Teachers can adapt faster than a chameleon changing colours.
Hardened professionals
Parents, administrators and students, oh-oh-oh! Teachers are criticised from all sides.
But they have such a strong shell that they can be envied by superheroes: Iron Man or Batman. But after completing a heroic mission, teachers can afford to cry a little humanly at home under the covers.
Eternal optimists
Despite the chaos, tears and marker marks on the walls, they return to school daily smiling.
This is the spirit of a real anti-crisis manager!
This is how I perceive teachers - the unsung heroes of crisis management who make the world a better place.
For each personality. For each of us!
About author:
Sergii Bidenko is an award-winning Crisis and Reputation Advisor to business owners, top managers and supervisory board members. Bestselling book author, cancel culture researcher.
He consults for owners and top managers of companies on issues of strategic reputation management, protection against media attacks, resolving corporate, customer and organisational conflicts.